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Who Supports Buttcrack?
Rod Blagojevich
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Who am I?
Milorad "Rod" R. Blagojevich, born
December 10, 1956) is an American politician from the state of Illinois. A
Democrat, Blagojevich currently serves as Governor of Illinois and
previously represented parts of Chicago in the U.S. Congress. He is the
second Serbian American to be elected governor of any state of the United
States, after George Voinovich of Ohio.
Blagojevich was the first Democrat to be elected
governor of Illinois in 30 years (since Daniel Walker in 1972).
Blagojevich has struggled annually to pass legislation and budgets, often
opposed by many members of his own party (which controls the Illinois
General Assembly) who perennially disagree with him over budget and other
issues. He has been the target of multiple federal investigations and has
historically low approval ratings within Illinois; Rasmussen called him
"America's Least Popular Governor."
Facts about Obama and I
Since 2005, Blagojevich has been the subject of at least
a dozen separate federal investigations, involving accusations against at
least 14 other people, including Blagojevich's former fundraiser Tony
Rezko. In 2006, Blagojevich said that he has been targeted for
investigation by "scoundrels" due to the change he brought as
governor, such as his ethics reform bill.
On December 30, 2005, it was reported that a leasing
deal reached for occupants of the remodeled Illinois Tollway Oasis had
come under investigation by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. Those who
signed the fast food contracts were reported to be connected to
Blagojevich campaign fundraising. This is in addition to other
investigations in the Illinois Department of Transportation, the
Department of Corrections and the Department of Children and Family
Services.
On June 30, 2006, it was revealed that state Attorney
General Lisa Madigan had received a letter from United States Attorney
Patrick Fitzgerald, stating that Fitzgerald is looking into "very
serious allegations of endemic hiring fraud" in the Blagojevich
administration, and thanking Madigan for turning over her office's
investigation to the federal authorities.
In September 2006, it was revealed that Blagojevich had
accepted a $1,500 check from Mike Ascaridis, whom the governor described
as one of his closest friends, in 2003. The check was given two weeks
after Ascaridis' wife, Beverly, received a state job at the Illinois
Department of Natural Resources. Beverly Ascaridis received this
appointment despite having failed a state hiring exam. Blagojevich
initially asserted that the check was written as a birthday gift to his
oldest daughter. He then later said it was a gift for his younger
daughter's christening. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and the FBI are
investigating the matter. In 2005, Beverly Ascaridis told investigators
that she believed she had been hired in exchange for the check.
On October 2, 2006, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
reported that a company that contributed close to $120,000 to
Blagojevich's 2002 gubernatorial campaign won a no-bid contract. Even
though the contract was awarded by the Illinois' Capital Development
Board, the board still reports to the governor.
On October 11, 2006, Blagojevich and Barack Obama
fundraisers and businessmen Antonin "Tony" Rezko and Stuart
Levine were indicted for participation in a scheme to obtain kickbacks
from investment firms seeking business from two state boards. Levine
pleaded guilty two weeks later and agreed to testify against Rezko.
The governor's wife, Patricia Blagojevich, was a
business partner of Rezko's for at least a decade. In 2004, she received
over $38,000 in real estate commissions from him.
In October 2006, it was revealed that Patricia
Blagojevich, a licensed real estate broker, earned $113,700 in commissions
from Anita and Amrish Mahajan. These were the only commissions earned by
Patricia Blagojevich that year. Anita Mahajan owns a urinalysis company
that holds a no-bid contract with the state Department of Children and
Family Services. Amrish Mahajan is president of a bank that has two
requests pending before state regulators to acquire two out-of-state
banks.
In December 2007, Blagojevich campaign boss Chris Kelly
was indicted on federal charges of tax fraud. The charges against Kelly
were not related to the governor or any political work. However, Kelly has
been listed as a "co-schemer" in court filings related to the
Rezko case. According to prosecutors, Kelly was involved in pressuring
prospective state contractors for "finder's fees" or political
contributions. At the time of Rezko's indictment, Blagojevich described
his relationship with Kelly: "They're two different people, by the
way, and it's a different relationship. Chris and I are much closer. Chris
is the head of my political campaign. That's someone I talk to a lot more
frequently."
Blagojevich was widely rumored to be the unnamed
"Public Official A" mentioned in the Rezko indictment. The
governor repeatedly denied that he was Public Official A, but on February
26, 2008, the judge in the case issued a ruling which confirmed his
identity. A pretrial ruling in the case from U.S. District Judge Amy St.
Eve named the Blagojevich campaign and confirmed that Blagojevich was the
intended beneficiary of at least one of Rezko's extortion attempts.
Blagojevich was not charged in the indictment, although prosecutors have
asserted in other court filings that he told a top Democratic fundraiser
that he could steer contracts, legal work and investment banking in order
to help with fundraising.
During the Rezko trial, Blagojevich's name came up
frequently - first during testimony from Levine, who testified of Rezko's
influence with the governor. Blagojevich was not charged in the case, but
prosecutors sought to prove that his top advisers were involved in
widespread kickback schemes. Levine mentioned Blagojevich by name at least
30 times in one day of testimony, and said under oath that the governor
told him, "[Y]ou stick with us and you'll do very well for
yourself". Levine took the comment to mean that there was money to be
made if he did the administration's bidding. A Blagojevich spokesperson
denied that the governor was involved in any illegal activity, saying
"Stuart Levine's assertions about the governor are wrong. As we've
said before, that's not how the governor does business."
On April 3, 2008, Levine testified that Blagojevich was
aware of a shakedown involving businessman and movie producer Tom
Rosenberg in 2004. Levine said that when Rosenberg threatened to go to the
authorities over what he saw as an extortion attempt, Rezko and the
governor worked out a "damage control" plan. Rosenberg would get
the contract, but would get no further business from the state. Levine
told the jury that Blagojevich approved of this plan and told Rezko that
the contract was "the last thing that Mr. Rosenberg should get from
the state". Blagojevich's office responded by again denying that any
such conduct took place. "We don't endorse or allow the awarding of
contracts based on campaign contributions. We never have. We never
will." a spokesman for the governor said.
Joseph Cari, Jr., the former finance chairman of the
Democratic National Committee, testified that Blagojevich was at one time
attempting to form a national fundraising presence in hopes of a run for
President of the United States. Cari said that the governor told him that
"contracts, legal work, investment banking work and consulting
work" would be awarded to "people who helped". The
governor's office again issued a denial after Cari's testimony.
On June 4, 2008, Rezko was convicted on 16 of the 24
counts against him. Facing decades in federal prison, it became clear that
Rezko could cut his prison time significantly if he were to cooperate in
ongoing investigations of other public figures, potentially including
Blagojevich. On October 9, 2008, Rezko's sentencing was delayed
indefinitely as he and his lawyers continued to talk with prosecutors in
an effort to work out a deal.
The first signs of Rezko's willingness to give
information to the authorities came with the October 30, 2008 indictment
of longtime Illinois power broker and Blagojevich fund-raiser William
Cellini. Cellini was charged with conspiring with Rezko, Levine and others
to award contracts with the state's Teachers Retirement System (TRS) to
companies which made campaign contributions to the Blagojevich campaign.
The alleged extortion of Rosenberg was one of the instances specifically
mentioned in Cellini's indictment.
In early October 2008, reports surfaced that another
federal investigation was being conducted into whether Rezko had paid for
the $90,000 renovation of Blagojevich's Chicago home
Blagojevich was arrested on federal corruption charges
in early December 2008. The Illinois House of Representatives voted in
January 2009 to impeach Blagojevich by a 114-1 vote,
the first time such an action has been taken against a
governor of Illinois. The corruption charges involved conspiracy to commit
mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery. The Justice Department
complaint alleges that the governor conspired to commit several
"pay-to-play" schemes, including attempting to sell President
Barack Obama's vacated United States Senate seat to the highest bidder. On
January 26, 2009, he became the second official in Illinois history to
face an impeachment trial.
Blagojevich was removed from office and barred from ever
holding public office in the state of Illinois through two separate and
unanimous votes of 59-0 by the Illinois State Senate on January 29, 2009,
following an extensive Senate trial. Blagojevich's lieutenant governor
Quinn subsequently became governor of Illinois. The Senate was acting as
the trier of fact on Articles of Impeachment brought by the Illinois House
of Representatives. The charges brought by the House centered on
Blagojevich's alleged abuses of power and his alleged attempts to sell
gubernatorial appointments and legislative authorizations and/or vetos to
the highest bidder. Included in these accusations was the alleged attempt
to sell the appointment to the United States Senate seat vacated by the
resignation of now U.S. President Barack Obama.
Blagojevich is only the eighth governor in the history
of the United States to be impeached and convicted, resulting in removal
from office. He is also one of the very few of that number to be
permanently barred from holding any future office of honor or trust under
the convicting State, and consequently while a citizen or resident of
Illinois from serving in any office of honor or trust under the United
States. The offices of President or Vice-President are exempted from this
prohibition, as the offices of President and Vice-President are the only
offices in the Federal Government not elected at the state level.
Blagojevich's impeachment, trial, conviction and removal
from office has no effect or bearing on the federal indictment he faces in
the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, as
impeachment and conviction is a political, not a criminal, action. He will
stand criminal trial on these charges at a later date unless he changes
his plea to guilty or nolo contendere or enters into a plea agreement, the
charges are dismissed, or he is pardoned by President Obama before the
trial begins.
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